Market Update January 2009 Part 2

What is ACAR going to do to help? ACAR believes that our “real estate market” has several components:

· Activity – buying, selling, building, lending, developing
· Commodity – our products…homes, title, insurance, inspections, all of the myriad things that make up real estate
· Resource – our most valuable resource … our REALTORS

ACAR is committed to positively influencing all three components.

How can your association influence market activity? We have to find creative, effective ways to communicate the advantages of owning real estate. In conjunction with the state and national associations, an aggressive media campaign has been launched. ACAR is utilizing digital billboards that we can change instantly and often to deliver messages to the public and to you. View Billboards

We must also defend and protect the essential rights of home ownership. As you know by now, NAR’s Stimulus Plan has received positive support from Treasury and Congressional Leadership.

Locally, Miguel has initiated a group to address work force housing with NAR’s program “Home From Work”. This program partners REALTORS® with builders, legislators, consumer advocates and other businesses. You’ll hear much more about this as we move forward.

The commodity that is real estate involves many players. Your association is uniquely positioned to bring together all of them, many of whom are our Affiliate members. Were it not for the support of our Affiliate Members, we’d be hard pressed to deliver services and education REALTORS® need. Our goal is to connect these value providers to the membership in relationship based forums.

Our affiliates also are our essential partners in our community service projects. In a few minutes we’ll introduce a way that we can begin to recognize their contributions. Helping to improve resources is what we do best of all.

Our key focus is on finding ways that ACAR can support, augment and enhance the ability of our members to do business.

One such new initiative is to offer new REALTOR® training and career development in manageable units. Called “The Pinnacle Pathway to Success” it will offer a total plan for the first two years of a REALTOR®’s career. We believe that the association can augment what you are doing in your offices in a way that enhance the overall result with less cost to you.

We are looking at how we can make Association service delivery more convenient. For example, while we were pushing to get everyone through NAR’s ethics training, we discovered that for many REALTORS® evenings and weekends is the best time to get training. We’re now looking at expanding our service hours for this group of members.

We want to be the partner you look forward to working with. Then one you can depend on for good ideas. We will be there to help you in this new real estate market, this new regimen of home sales. The one you can turn to when times are tough and the one you can celebrate with when times are better. 2009 will have its challenges, but I ask you to keep this in mind…at ACAR “we’re in it for you.”